Quail Street Boxing: The City of Albany’s Place to Train*

A short ride from where you’re likely reading this is a boxing wannabe’s Holy Grail – a great, and a safe place to train.

Headed by Director Vladimir Koshnitzky, who boasts hundreds of fights in his native Russia, the Quail Street Gym is part of the City of Albany’s Department of Recreation. Vlad gives strong and positive leadership to the gym, which is open to all, regardless of town or city of residence.

We could talk a long time about the gym’s positive features – its clean and well-equipped training area, or its welcoming atmosphere and regulation-sized ring. But its main attraction is arguably the humble, gentle giant you’ll find there, teaching some young man or woman how to put more “pop” into a straight right, or of the importance of doing well in school. It’s impossible to overstate what Jerrick Jones means to Capital Region boxing. For a decade, he’s helped mold inexperienced fighters into more than just skilled boxers, but into fine young adults, too.

“Trainers don’t come any better than Jerrick,” says Bill White, Jones’ counterpart at Cus D’Amato’s Catskill Gym, “He’s one of the most professional and knowledgeable trainers around – a real expert. And he’s so great with kids, too.” But ask anyone who knows Jerrick, and they’ll also tell you that he’s simply the nicest guy you’d find anywhere – inside or outside the world of boxing.

Jerrick emphasizes that character building and good behavior are central themes at the Quail Street Gym. Prominently displayed on the wall above the sign-in sheet are the strictly enforced rules: no cursing, no vandalism, no drugs; in short, no nonsense – period. The penalties for violations are swift, and can lead to expulsion from the gym if the offense is sufficiently serious, or if warnings are ignored.

“We mean what we say about the rules,” says Jerrick, “but we also know that some of these kids need our help, too, so we give them a chance and we work with them.” Just as Jerrick said this, he turned to greet a man who’d been patiently awaiting his attention. Excusing himself, the man grabbed Jerrick’s hand with both of his, saying he’d just stop by to offer thanks for the time and attention he’d been giving his son, and for making his shy boy feel so at ease. The obviously sincere gratitude was touching. It said it all.

Paul Brown, who with Lisa Elovich heads Pugnacious Promotions, one of the most successful professional boxing promotion enterprises in the State, and a fighter himself, sees Jerrick as simply the best around. “Jerrick can deliver a two-hour lecture on every punch in a fighter’s arsenal. I wouldn’t train with anybody else. He eats, sleeps and breathes boxing.”

Jerrick learned the sweet science from former professional boxers Ray Holland and Matt Baranski. You may recognize Matt’s name from his days as Mike Tyson’s “cut man” throughout most of the fighter’s career. Jerrick went on to fight 38 amateur bouts before turning to training in 1998. “Matt was the first to teach me how to work effectively with kids,” says Jerrick.

But his main influence and primary mentor was, and remains to this day, Stephon Frost, Director of Parent Relations at Albany’s Arbor Hill Elementary School. “Stephon is not just a great boxer, he’s my best friend. There’s nobody who makes boxing look easier. He just does everything right, instinctively.”

A believer in giving credit where credit is due, Jerrick is quick to acknowledge the leadership that Koshnitzky provides to Quail Street Boxing and the fact that the program wouldn’t even exist without the support of Mayor Jerry Jennings and Albany’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, John D’Antonio. “Mayor Jennings and John make all of this possible,” he says, waving a big right hand around the circumference of the gym. “This whole thing is the result of their vision. They’re so committed to young people in this City. It’s just wonderful.”

Born and raised in Albany, Jerrick is a 1984 graduate of CBA. He went on to earn a B.S. in Psychology from Niagara University before serving two years in the U.S. Army as a 1Lt. in the Military Police.

What does Jerrick do in his spare time? “I train folks at other area gyms.” Enough said.

(Be sure to check back in a couple of days to hear about one of Jerrick’s and Quail Street Boxing’s premier fighters, an impressive young man and U.S. Olympic Team hopeful: Amir Imam.)

*Each month The Neutral Corner will feature a Club of the Month, where we’ll recognize the coaches and fighters who make Capital Region boxing so special. This month, it’s Quail Street Boxing. In March 2008, we’ll turn to Sweeney’s Boxing & Fitness in Delmar.

2 Responses

Great to see you have a boxing blog. I look forward to reading what you have to say. I have read with great interest some of your other boxing pieces, such as your book review of Teddy Atlas’ autobiography and your article on the reopening of the Catskill Gym. You’ve turned me into a real boxing fan, and you’ve made me see an unexpected and noble side of what I once thought of as a brutal sport. I’d be very interested in hearing more about the people you’ve mentioned in these articles, like Bill White and Kevin Rooney. I can’t believe I grew up in a place with these characters practically around the corner. Thanks for opening up this fascinating world to me